December 8, 2017

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Walmart sells meal kits to challenge Amazon and Blue Apron

by John_A

Walmart’s never-ending quest to beat Amazon has it venturing into unfamiliar territory: meal kits. The big-box retailer has started selling just shy of 30 meal kits (such as a Thai crab curry) from multiple brands. How much you’ll pay varies, but it’s not uncommon to pay $35 for a meal for four. There are also bundles, such as a $60 Everyday Supper pack that serves three meals for two people. The brands themselves fulfill the orders. This isn’t a subscription service like Blue Apron, but it’s helpful if you’d like a fanciful meal without hunting down ingredients. And importantly, Walmart will soon compete more directly with Amazon’s meal kits through an app tie-in.

The store chain just partnered with BuzzFeed’s Tasty team to integrate purchases into the mobile app’s recipes (shown above). At present, it’s limited to buying the cookware you need to complete a recipe (such as measuring cups or a slow cooker), but an update in 2018 will include the groceries themselves and services like grocery pickup. If you’re a kitchen rookie, you might have a one-stop shop for everything you need.

That’s potentially an advantage over Amazon’s Allrecipes pact, which can assemble the ingredients for a given meal but doesn’t offer the equipment. Not that Walmart can remain cozy — it wouldn’t be at all shocking if Amazon eventually gives you the opportunity to buy absolutely everything.